SOUP!!

American people consume more soup than any other Western
nation. Ninety-six per cent of U.S. households serve it at least once
every three days!

Soup is one of the most nourishing and easily digested
food we can eat. "Eat your soup, it’s good for you!" is often heard.

The earliest evidence of soup making comes from the Near
East where around 7,00 or 8,00 B.C., cultivated grains were boiled in
pottery pots.

During times of famine in the Middle Ages, soup kitchens
fed the poor, the hungry and the sick.

The word "soup" probably derived from the German "sop",
the bread over which a liquid, such as a broth, was poured.

"Supper" as the name of the evening meal, came
from "sup" which meant to sit down and have a bowl of soup.

In the late 1800’s, a chemist, John T. Dorrance created
the first canned "condensed" soup for the Joseph Campbell Preserve
Company. Cooks had only to add water and heat.

Today 3.1 billion cans of soup are sold each year in the
U.S.A. America’s favourite canned soup is chicken noodle.

Results from one of the most complete studies ever made
in the States, involving separate analysis of 3 government dietary
surveys and over 60,00 individuals, showed that nutritionally healthy
people eat a lot of soup.

The students can use this short article for forming
questions.
When was the earliest evidence of soup making?
What is the origin of the word "soup"?
Who created the first canned condensed soup?
How many cans of soup are sold every year in the U.S.A.?

Another activity:
Have the students research the number of calories given for the
following food:
an apple a pear
a peach a banana
a hamburger a slice of pizza
a hot dog a tomato
a carrot a portion of fried
potatoes a portion of tuna
fish

They can also write menus for 1,500 calories dividing
them for breakfast, lunch and supper. These can be photocopied for
all to see, or else posted on a class bulletin board.

Still another group can research "fad diets" What are
the rules of the diet? How many calories are permitted on this diet?
Are these diets considered dangerous to a person’s health and why.

An advanced group can discuss the statement "You are what
you eat". This can be used to stimulate a discussion on good eating to
keep healthy.

They can also keep a record of the food they eat in one
day, and see how many calories they totalled.

These activities aim at having the students’ acquire
healthy eating habits.